It's been awhile since my last post - almost 2 months! Not a lot has happened in that time...just trying to enjoy a little more downtime around the holidays while still trying to maintain some level of fitness. The spring and summer races will be here before I know it.
Joe (my husband) did the Philadelphia Marathon back in November, which was his first marathon. He trained really hard and put in a lot of time not only with training, but also with recovery and nutrition. I know the first race is always the most difficult as you don't know what to expect or how to prepare. But, I would say that for his first marathon race, he did fantastic and finished in a time of 3 hours 32 minutes. It was two minutes over his goal time of 3:30, but I think he's happy with his results overall. But, while we were at the expo for packet pickup, we decided to sign up for the inaugural Rock N' Roll USA Marathon in Washington, DC. This will be my first marathon...I'm looking it as a training run to prepare for Ironman Louisville. So, my hope and goal is just a feel good run to the finish line :)
This past weekend we raced the Celtic Solstice 5 miler down in Baltimore at Druid Hill Park. This was the first race I have done since the middle of October - since my last post, actually. I can't say it was the best race of my life, as you will see in my race report below, but it was a fun race that will be in my rotation of races to do :) I mostly did it for the nice Brooks thermal shirt that was the race premium, but it was nice to have some Boordy wine afterwards in the company of my love and great friends.
Celtic Solstice 5 miler Race Report:
The Good:
First off, the race course was in Druid Hill Park. While a bit hilly, it was completely closed to traffic which made it a care-free race with no worries of cars around. The packet pickup (which we did the weekend before) was organized and not crowded and you got a nice Brooks thermal long sleeved shirt, which was basically the cost of the entry fee. The race itself was in a good location and we were able to find adequate parking near Johns Hopkins and had a quick half mile walk to the start line. The course was a nice loopy route through the park - you got to see a lot of spectators at various points in the run. The post race refreshments were nice, with cookies, apples, oranges, bananas, some yummy veggie soup, and warm spiced wassail wine! I surprised myself by drinking some, which you will understand a little later. But, it was a nice treat. One of the best parts of this race was the fact that we got to see some wonderful friends that live in the area - many thanks to our friends Andy and Marissa Redding that let us stay with them Friday evening so we didn't have to wake up super early and drive down Saturday morning. Always great hosts :) It made me wish (for a few moments) that we still lived in Bmore. I miss you all!! xoxo
The Bad:
The only bad parts about this race was the before/after race area inside the tent. It was very crowded with around 3,000 people. This made maneuvering through the tent for your timing chip beforehand and the food/drinks afterwards a tad annoying. The race started out on a flat, but went uphill right away for about 2 miles. Looking back on it, I won't remember it as a terribly hilly race, but at the time, I thought "Why did I decide to do this again??". It was also pretty chilly at 8:30 am with a slight breeze, so I wasn't fully warm until mile 3 or so. Also, while we got plenty of emails regarding packet pickup, parking and driving directions, I couldn't tell you much about the race besides it was on a Saturday somewhere in Druid Park. It wasn't until a few days before the race that we actually got an emailed version of the course map so we knew where the start line was. It would have been nice to have this earlier, but that's just the "extremely prepared" personality in me.
The Ugly:
Well, there was really only one ugly thing about this race. Dehydrated, hungry, and still slightly hungover. Thursday night was my work holiday party here in Lancaster. It was a beautiful time, but I made the rookie mistake of mixing drinks and getting too little sleep. And had too much wine. Now I understand why everyone says wine hangovers are the devil. This is true. So, the race was rough from the beginning - I didn't have much of an appetite on Friday, so that meant very little fuel being taken in. I tried to drink plenty of water but it wouldn't help much. When Saturday morning came around, I was able to eat a powerbar and a banana before the race, but felt tired and heavy the whole race. I kept telling myself that I was just out there to enjoy the run and just to get it done. My goal was to beat my 5 miler race time in June, which I managed to do by a minute, so maybe that means I'm getting better at this running thing. I should put that piece in the "Good" category.
On another "surprised myself today" note, Joe and I managed to run a good 12 miles with a local friend/triathlete here in Lititz. It was great to run with "a group" of us, it made the time go by much much faster. I am thankful for being able to do these things with some really great people.
Now, it's time to enjoy the holidays with wonderful family and friends and then get ready for a crazy 2012! I feel it's going to be a good upcoming year - hopeful for continued motivation, good nutrition habits, and feel good training days. Even though Thanksgiving is over, I will continue to always be thankful for everyone in my life that pushes me to be a better person and athlete. So, I say THANK YOU to all of you out there :)
Sorry for the novel, once again....Happy Holidays to you and yours!!
xoxo,
Chandra
